According to conventional tissue-making processes, a slurry of pulp mixture is fed to a headbox, where the mixture is laid onto a forming surface so as to form a web. The web is then dried using pressure and/or heat to form the finished tissue. Prior to drying, the pulp mixture is considered to be in the “wet end” of the tissue making process. Additives may be used in the wet end to impart a particular attribute or chemical state to the tissue. However, using additives in the wet end has some disadvantages. For example, a large amount of additive may be required in the pulp mixture to achieve the desired effect on the finished tissue, which in turn leads to increased cost and, in the case of wet end additive debonder, may actually reduce the tissue strength. In order to avoid drawbacks associated with wet end additives, agents, such as softeners, have been added topically after web formation.
The tissue web may be dried by transferring the web to a forming surface and then directing a flow of heated air onto the web. This process is known as through air drying (TAD). While topical softeners have been used in combination with through air dried tissue, the resulting products have had a tamped down or flattened surface profile. The flattened surface profile in turn hinders the cleaning ability of the tissue and limits the overall effectiveness of the softener.